Cocoon (Lily ABO) - Chapter 27

Han Jingman was sleeping fitfully, but she constantly felt someone prying apart her legs.

Though an Omega’s recovery ability is exceptionally strong, she couldn’t withstand the burning, stinging pain at her pussy. Every time she slightly parted her knees, it tugged at her delicate petals; the friction of the flesh elicited rhythmic moans from her even in her dreams.

Ling Yu cautiously and evenly applied anti-inflammatory ointment on Han Jingman’s pussy; even the red, swollen little hole was coated in a thin layer. Unable to bear Han Jingman’s pained whimpers, Ling Yu’s movements became lighter and lighter. By the time she finished applying the medicine inside and out, a layer of fine sweat covered Ling Yu’s back.

With the constant harassment finally over, the cooling cream greatly eased the pain of her first encounter, and Han Jingman fell into a deep, relieved sleep.

Earlier, Ling Yu had driven Han Jingman’s car back to her own apartment. After a night of turmoil, the cold medicine had finally metabolized out of her system, so she took a suppressant herself. She then took her wallet and drove to a 24-hour pharmacy. Worried that Han Jingman might wake up while home alone, Ling Yu had practically raced against the clock to get back. When she finally paid at the pharmacy, the clerk saw the items she had selected and immediately shot her a look of disdain—the kind reserved for a “scumbag Alpha”—leaving Ling Yu to grab the medicine in a fluster and bolt out the door.

After washing her hands, Ling Yu stood by the bed, quietly watching Han Jingman’s sleeping face. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over, leaned down, and gently grasped Han Jingman’s hand, pressing the delicate back of it against her own face and slowly stroking it.

“Do you also think I’m very bad? Truly terrible.”

Taking a mile where given an inch during the heat, acting with wanton abandon. Selfishly and unilaterally demanding your care, and selfishly, unilaterally loving you.

“Do you remember when I was little? If I had a nightmare, I couldn’t sleep, and I loved to cry. If I couldn’t sleep, I’d insist on pestering you to tell me a story; I wanted to hear that book my mother left me, One Thousand and One Nights.” Ling Yu paused and couldn’t help but laugh, continuing with a bashful look, “You didn’t know, but I was actually lying to you. I’d finished that book long ago, but I just wanted to hear you tell it again, many more times. But every time you read a story, you’d fall asleep before me. What was I to do? I was still afraid, but I didn’t want to wake you, so I’d secretly hold your hand. Just like now… if I hold it, I’m not afraid anymore…”

Ling Yu leaned by the bed, murmuring to herself, revealing memories that had accompanied her to sleep through countless late nights. She laughed one moment and cried the next, until eventually, she fell asleep herself from sheer exhaustion.

This sleep was remarkably long. When Han Jingman regained consciousness, her mind was a blur. Her eyelashes fluttered several times before she realized where she was. She tried to prop herself up to sit, only to find one hand was being gripped tightly. She froze, then saw the sleeping face resting beside her. Immediately, the memories of last night’s noisy, lewd intimacy flooded her mind like a tide; the torn entrance below felt as if it were still aching dully.

The sensation of the body thrusting inside her again and again was still vivid. She and Ling Yu… they really did it last night.

Han Jingman’s face flushed a deep red as she looked at the hand Ling Yu refused to let go of. The soft spot in her heart was gently nudged. Her gaze turned tender as she stared at the sleeping girl; feeling a pang of guilt, she reached out with her free hand to touch Ling Yu’s face. Last time, she had slapped her right here. Even though she’d watched the fair face swell instantly after one blow, she hadn’t stopped, even adding a second one. How much must it have hurt her then?

Now that she was asleep, she was quiet. When awake, she was truly a handful. Han Jingman’s fingertips felt Ling Yu’s forehead. Fortunately, it wasn’t hot anymore; it seemed the fever had completely broken.

Feeling something crawling on her face, Ling Yu’s beautiful eyebrows twitched. Her brow furrowed slightly and her eyes shifted as she prepared to wake.

Han Jingman was suddenly struck by embarrassment and quickly retracted her hand, closing her eyes to feign sleep.

Ling Yu blinked her bleary eyes, looking suspiciously at the “soundly sleeping” Han Jingman beside her, and then at their tightly interlaced hands. She couldn’t help but blame herself for sleeping too deeply.

Having been hunched over for half the night, her knees had long since lost all feeling. Ling Yu moved her leg slightly—”Hss—!” The tingling, swollen pain of restricted blood flow made her gasp. She laboriously massaged herself a few times before she was finally able to stand up, albeit shakily.

Looking down, the person on the bed who should have been asleep was staring up at her with a pair of amber eyes, looking at her calmly. She didn’t know when she had woken up.

“Why didn’t you sleep in the bed?” Han Jingman’s voice still carried a trace of lethargy, and her throat, unlubricated since the night before, sounded somewhat raspy.

“I…”

Ling Yu stood there awkwardly, looking at the composed Han Jingman. This wasn’t quite how she had imagined it. She had envisioned a thousand scenarios in her mind, yet seeing Han Jingman actually awake, she didn’t know what to say.

“Could you get me a glass of water? Thank you.”

The moment Ling Yu had let go of her hand, she had already opened her eyes. Now, seeing the tongue-tied Ling Yu, she sighed in her heart and simply asked her for water to moisten her throat.

“Okay, I’ll go now.” Ling Yu bolted, but her knees, not yet fully restored to life, were still stiff. Her gait was inexplicably comical with her straight legs.

When she returned with a glass of warm water, Han Jingman was already propped up against the headboard waiting for her. Ling Yu was nervous, her hands a bit clumsy. Han Jingman didn’t even look at her; she just took the water, silently sipped half of it, set the glass aside, and delivered a seemingly mundane piece of information:

“I’m hungry.”

Ling Yu froze. She thought the next thing she’d have to face would be heavy, realistic topics. She had even prepared herself mentally to arm herself with an icy mask again.

However, Han Jingman’s “I’m hungry” caused her carefully constructed defenses to collapse instantly. Her lips moved slightly, and her dry throat finally managed a single sentence: “Then I’ll go cook. You rest first.”

As Ling Yu turned to leave the bedroom again, Han Jingman quietly glanced at the water glass on the side. Next to it was an unopened box of oral medication. She reached for the box, read the instructions, and then popped out two pills, swallowing them in one go with the remaining half-glass of water.

Ling Yu made some simple food with the ingredients in the fridge. When she entered the bedroom again, she found Han Jingman calmly handling emails on her laptop. Ling Yu’s gaze fell on the medicine box that had clearly been opened; her eyes shimmered with a trace of unreadable emotion, but it was quickly suppressed.

“Is the food ready?”

Seeing the girl standing blankly at the door without speaking, Han Jingman set her laptop aside and took the initiative to ask.

Ling Yu gave an “mhm.” Seeing Han Jingman start to get out of bed, she instinctively moved forward to support her.

“I’m not sick, and I’m not injured. You don’t need to be so nervous.”

Though there was still some discomfort at her pussy, it didn’t hinder Han Jingman’s movement at all. Ling Yu pursed her lips but refused to let go, staring straight at her. Seeing that the girl was being stubborn again, Han Jingman could only let her be.

On the table were silky-smooth steamed eggs with shrimp and a light seaweed and dried shrimp soup. The main dish was the leftover pumpkin millet porridge from yesterday, which Ling Yu had reheated. She stood up to serve Han Jingman a bowl of soup, and then the two of them sat in the dining area and began to eat in silence.

Ling Yu’s cold had dragged on for a while, and she had barely eaten properly lately. The small bowl of rice water from yesterday had long since been digested. It was fine when Han Jingman hadn’t mentioned hunger, but now that she had, Ling Yu felt as if she were suffering from low blood sugar.

The hot porridge and seaweed soup brought a flush to Ling Yu’s pale face. The comfort of food entering her stomach made her feel better all over; even the lingering “tail” of her cold vanished as she broke into a light sweat.

The two of them finished every bit of food on the table. The last spoonful of steamed eggs was scooped into Han Jingman’s bowl. Drinking the last drop of soup, Ling Yu sat back in her chair, relaxed. She hadn’t eaten this contentedly in a long time.

Han Jingman finished her food, wiped her mouth, and stood up to clear the dishes. Ling Yu scrambled up to help, but was stopped by a look from Han Jingman. She could only stand obediently by the side, quietly watching Han Jingman finish tidying everything.

Finally, when all the dishes were washed, Han Jingman dried her hands and looked up at the waiting Ling Yu, saying calmly, “Let’s talk.”

Ling Yu’s heart sank. Sure enough, what was meant to come had arrived.